The Serious Incident Investigation Report (Root Cause Analysis) is being phased out. Will this benefit patients and what are the implications for clinical negligence litigation? – St John’s Chambers

Posted August 1st, 2023 in chambers articles, hospitals, negligence, news, reports by sally

‘A criticism of the NHS generally is that it does not learn from mistakes. Despite the “never event” framework, the number of such incidents remains stubbornly high. In response to the perceived failures to the improvement of patient safety, NHS England are introducing the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (“PSIRF” pronounced “pea surf”) to replace the Serious Incident Framework. The transition to PSIRF from the Serious Incident Framework should be completed by autumn 2023.’

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St John's Chambers, 13th July 2023

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk

NHS midwife sacked for claiming terrorists could poison baby milk – BBC News

‘A midwife who told a patient that terrorists could contaminate milk formula to “kill the babies” has been struck off.’

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BBC News, 30th July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Aberdare’s Priory Hospital firms fined £400k after workers assaulted – BBC News

‘Companies running a mental health unit have been fined more than £400,000 after staff suffered bite attacks from inpatients.’

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BBC News, 26th July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS trust accused of cover-up is refusing to release report into deaths – The Guardian

‘An ambulance trust accused of hiding information from a coroner about patients that died is keeping a damning internal report about the deaths secret, the Guardian can reveal. A consultant paramedic implicated in the alleged cover-ups continues to be involved in decisions to keep the report from the public.’

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The Guardian, 24th July 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Eight out of 10 NHS claims now settle pre-issue – Legal Futures

Posted July 20th, 2023 in budgets, costs, health, hospitals, negligence, news, statistics by tracey

‘The proportion of claims settled by NHS Resolution pre-issue hit a record 80% in the last year, but the cost of claims still rose, according to its annual report.’

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Legal Futures, 20th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hospital discharge and subsequent placement should be considered as separate matters when determining capacity: CoP – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Protection has allowed an appeal against a decision that a woman lacked capacity to consent to discharge from hospital and to be placed in specified accommodation, saying that the discharge and placement offer should have been treated as separate matters.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th July 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Nottingham maternity review set to become UK’s largest – BBC News

Posted July 10th, 2023 in bereavement, birth, children, families, hospitals, inquiries, news, pregnancy by sally

‘A review into failings in maternity care in hospitals in Nottingham is set to become the largest in the UK, the BBC understands.’

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BBC News, 10th July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Case Note on the Supreme Court case of R (Maguire) v The Coroner for Blackpool & Fylde [2023] UKSC 20 – 2 Hare Court

‘The long running case of Maguire has finally been concluded in a Supreme Court judgment handed down last week. The bottom line is and remains that the threshold for Article 2 remains high in cases involving health and social care. The case is particularly helpful for its detailed and comprehensive analysis of the authorities and the relevant legal principles in relation to the application of Article 2 and is a must read for those practising in the coronial area.’

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2 Hare Court, 30th June 2023

Source: www.2harecourt.com

NHS trust brings judicial review against three councils in bid to secure £1.8m in developer contributions – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 10th, 2023 in budgets, hospitals, housing, judicial review, local government, news, planning by sally

‘The High Court is set to hear a challenge from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust over a decision by three local councils to refuse its request for developer contributions towards healthcare service provision before approving a 2,200-dwelling development.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th July 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

NHS whistleblowers need more protection, expert warns – BBC News

Posted July 3rd, 2023 in bullying, hospitals, inquiries, news, unfair dismissal, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Protections for NHS staff to speak out about wrongdoing may be insufficient to prevent another big scandal like that at the Mid Staffordshire hospital trust, an expert has told BBC News.’

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BBC News, 3rd July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inquiry into 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex NHS trusts given legal powers – The Guardian

Posted June 29th, 2023 in bereavement, hospitals, inquiries, mental health, news, suicide, witnesses by sally

‘An independent inquiry into the deaths of almost 2,000 mental health patients across NHS trusts in Essex is to be given legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence, after pressure from bereaved relatives and the chair of the inquiry.’

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The Guardian, June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dispute escalation clauses: lessons from the Court of Appeal – Local Government Lawyer

‘Nick McQueen and Inam Hasan highlight important lessons to learn from a recent Court of Appeal case in the construction sector on the enforceability and effect of dispute escalation clauses.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd June 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Deprivation of liberty safeguards reform delayed – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Major reform of safeguards covering people detained under the Mental Capacity Act will be a matter for the next government, the current government has revealed.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judicial review proceedings issued against NHS trust over lack of consultation on mental health services redesign – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is facing a judicial review challenge from a claimant who alleges the trust failed to involve or consult service users on plans to redesign its community mental health services.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st June 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court orders breakdown of medical expert fees – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 26th, 2023 in civil procedure rules, costs, expert witnesses, fees, hospitals, news by tracey

‘Medical reporting organisations could face more scrutiny over their costs after a court ordered a full breakdown of expert fees.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 25th May 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Hospital ‘racially discriminated’ against engineer – BBC News

‘An NHS hospital trust racially discriminated against an engineer when he was suspended over a health and safety breach, an employment tribunal ruled.’

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BBC News, 25th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS Trust chief to publicly apologise to victims of maternity care scandal – The Independent

Posted May 25th, 2023 in birth, families, hospitals, news, pregnancy, standards by tracey

‘The head of an under-fire NHS Trust will publicly apologise to victims of a maternity scandal as the chair of a review into the episode said the trust has “a lot of learning to do”.
Anthony May, chief executive of the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, will apologise on its behalf to parents who were affected by poor maternity care at its annual public meeting on July 10, the trust said on Wednesday.’

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The Independent, 24th May 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records – The Guardian

‘The confidentiality of NHS medical records has been thrown into doubt after a “stalker” hospital doctor accessed and shared highly sensitive information about a woman who had started dating her ex-boyfriend, despite not being involved in her care.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hospital boss claims unfair dismissal after chairman ‘bullied’ her – BBC News

‘A former NHS chief executive is suing her employer, saying she was “bullied, harassed, intimidated and undermined” by the hospital trust’s chairman.’

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BBC News, 12th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Four staff at specialist hospital guilty of mistreating vulnerable patients – The Independent

‘Four members of staff at a specialist hospital have been found guilty of mistreating vulnerable patients after an undercover BBC Panorama documentary.’

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The Independent, 28th April 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk